Australian all-rounder and proud Muruwari woman Ash Gardner has opened up on the backlash she copped after expressing concerns about playing cricket on January 26, confessing she was taken aback by the fallout.
Ahead of last month’s T20I against Pakistan at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena, Gardner condemned Cricket Australia’s decision to schedule an international match on Australia Day, which she labelled a “day of hurt and mourning” for the Indigenous community.
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The 25-year-old, who is No. 1 on the ICC’s T20 all-rounder rankings, was widely praised for her statement, but she inevitably received plenty of abuse on social media platforms.
Speaking to reporters after Saturday’s T20 World Cup victory over New Zealand at Paarl’s Boland Park, during which she claimed career-best figures of 5-12, Gardner admitted she went through “a couple of dark days” following the ordeal.
“Social media has a lot of good things, and I knew when posting that statement that there was going to be backlash,” she said.
“I think I underestimated how much I copped, and I guess I tried my best not to look at all that stuff, but I feel like it‘s only human nature to read comments.
“It was a moment where I stuck to my guns, and I put that statement out there because that‘s what I believed in, and I just have to stick true to what I said. I guess I’ve just tried to flip that and turn into a positive, and it’s sparked conversations.
“Not everyone‘s going to agree with everything that people say, and that’s totally fine, as long as I change some people’s minds about certain things, whether it’s social issues or not.
“The support that I had from my teammates and support staff was huge, because it was a couple of dark days there where I was like, ‘Why did I do that?’
“But knowing that it was for a good cause, and then just trying to take that confidence with that going into my cricket as well, sticking to my guns with how I play cricket, and then I guess how I act off the field as well.”
Gardner’s five-wicket haul helped Australia secure a thumping 97-run victory over their trans-Tasman rivals, getting the defending champions’ T20 World Cup campaign off to a flyer.
After New Zealand won the toss and elected to field first, wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy smacked an entertaining 53 (38) as Australia registered 9-173 from its 20 overs. Captain Meg Lanning (41 from 33 balls) and all-rounder Ellyse Perry (40 from 22) also contributed with the bat, while seamer Lea Tahuhu and leg-spinner Amelia Kerr each snared three wickets for the Kiwis.
In response, Megan Schutt removed Kiwi openers Suzie Bates and skipper Sophie Devine in the first over of the run chase, each for a golden duck, to leave New Zealand reeling at 2-6.
Kerr top-scored with 21 (30) before becoming Gardner’s first victim in the ninth over, sparking a horror collapse of 6-25 as New Zealand was rolled for 76 in 14 overs.
Gardner, later named Player of the Match, finished with the best bowling figures by an Australian in T20 World Cup history, bettering the 5-22 that Julie Hunter claimed against the West Indies in 2012.
“That’s, honestly, probably my second five-for of my whole career,” Gardner said.
“So, to do it on the international stage … I think about probably two or three years ago, I didn’t bowl a lot in this format.
“And I’m really trying to take that with two hands and every opportunity I get, I try to put my team in a winning position, but ultimately just try and bowl my best ball over and over again.
“Today I was lucky enough to take five wickets and it’s certainly something that I’ll cherish forever and something I am super proud of.”
BEST BOWLING FIGURES FOR AUSTRALIA IN WOMEN’S T20Is
5/10 – Molly Strano vs NZ, 2017
5/12 – Jess Jonassen vs IND, 2020
5/12 – Ash Gardner vs NZ, 2023
5/15 – Megan Schutt vs PAK, 2023
Attention shifts temporarily towards Monday evening’s inaugural Women’s Premier League Action, where several Australian players are eyeing a major payday if snapped up for the Indian tournament.
Gardner will be the third cricketer to go under the hammer, listed behind Devine and England spinner Sophie Ecclestone.
“To be honest, I‘ve tried to not think about it but I’d be lying if I said I haven’t,” Gardner said.
“I actually dreamt about it the other night, which is quite sad but (also) quite funny but that‘s how much I’ve been thinking about it, unfortunately.
“It‘s a huge moment for women’s cricket and to see that the money that’s been put into women’s cricket over in India to ultimately have that global impact, to have associate players given the opportunity to play in that competition, is huge to take back to their homelands.
“For me, it‘s certainly not about the money side of things, it’s being able to go over there and challenge myself in different conditions … but my focus right now is on the World Cup and playing for my country.
“(The auction is) kind of the elephant in the room for a lot of teams and we’re trying to keep our focus pretty sharply on this World Cup.”
Australia’s T20 World Cup campaign resumes on Wednesday morning when they face Bangladesh at St George‘s Park in Gqeberha, with the first ball scheduled for 4am AEDT.
“These tournaments seem to go really quickly,” Gardner said.
“So having a travel day in between and then training to actually get used to those conditions (in Gqeberha) is super important.
“It could be completely different to this wicket.
“I think everyone‘s just keen to keep these games going and to certainly take the momentum from tonight’s game.”
Upcoming IPL auction won’t distract Aus | 00:58
